[Satellite TODAY 07-15-10] Embedded wireless and global positioning semiconductor and module supplier U-blox has expanded its contract manufacturing capacity for its Leon GSM/GPRS module to the Brazilian region, the company announced July 14.
    U-blox said the new production line is intended to capitalize on Brazilian government mandates that new automobiles sold in Brazil must have a built-in automatic vehicle lLocation (AVL) unit. AVL uses a combination of GPS positioning with mobile communications for tracking, managing and recovering vehicles and other goods. AVL is intended to deter vehicle theft, prevent road-tax fraud, and lower insurance costs. 
    “As Leon is a critical component for AVL systems, we have commissioned a large-scale production line in Brazil to accelerate our response to our AVL customers, lower costs and simplify logistics,” U-blox President Nikolaos Papadopoulos said in a statement.
    According to Brazilian GDP estimates, there were more than 3 million new vehicles sold in Brazil in 2007. In the same year, there were more than 380,000 stolen cars with only an estimated 50 percent recovery rate. In addition to AVL installed in new cars, there is also an aftermarket sector of more than 18.5 million existing vehicles in Brazil.